More on Circling
In our email communication about Circling, Carla wrote this: "This week I have been watching a Spanish class by one of the experts
Circling – The Big Lie
Carla asked me about Circling recently. I don't know what the TPRS/CI community is up to these days, but I gathered from what Carla said that they still circle. God bless them. I find that Circling does not work. It seems
We Need to Upgrade Our Grading
We are now moving at warp speed into a new way to educate and assess people. It is now more about communication, process, intuition and cooperation. It is no longer about isolation of the smart from the not so smart. Nor
Upcoming Ultimate CI Book Trainings
1. That Book 2 training group is now officially scheduled to start March 27th. 3 spots remain. (Classes are limited to 15) 2. The next Book 1 training starts March 27th as well. Registration for that group is now closed. 3.
Something for Curious Admins
Denise sent this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14zGHyYDQ3sfCyV2XVpI6QgxDj9RcP2ZHxY4aa6mlNEU/edit?fbclid=IwAR22kZqNBYDgQBlREwuh2of9Gq6J4Mge98d9L8VYFoP6CFxbSQHA-2yOp2Y
Position in Redding, CA
Corinne Bourne teaches Russian and French (and some Spanish) in Redding, CA. A member of this PLC for over 15 years and a real pro at CI, is retiring this year. She writes: Hi Ben - My position at UPrep, Redding
Mission Statement
I think we should all write - and keep updating - a mission statement about why we do our work in the way we do. We should not write it because we have to, because someone forces us, but for
On FLOW – 3
How to not be blocked? Develop FLOW, whose source is in our hearts. That's what my message in the StarChart™ is, and why it works. I never could get real flow going in my classes until I developed the Star. Believe
On FLOW – 2
I will write a post about how teachers get away with not teaching in a way that honors the research and the Communication standard. I don't look forward to that task, but it is becoming increasingly clear that such posts,
On FLOW – 1
When we do things we enjoy, we don't get tired, and neither do our students. That is FLOW. When we teach our languages slowly and clearly, it energizes everyone in the classroom. When we enjoy FLOW, our hearts sparkle and
Can Do Statements – 9
Our group member Laura Avila in Maine has written this on Can Do statements: Hi Ben - Next week we are getting another layer of police inspection into our teaching under the title of “Learning Walks”. They want to see us using
Why Are We So Opposed in Our Work?
This is the time when things are reversed. Teachers teach falsified history, views of science are constantly overturned, false versions of language are presented as language but only explore its mechanical aspects. Children have grown weary of such false things
Keeping Our Jobs
Our reaction to the COVID crisis has so far been to frantically search the internet for band-aid solutions, activities that do little for us or for our students. Our reasoning seems to be that if we can just find the right
Ultimate CI Book 1 – Report from the Field
Group 4 just finished its six-week training and I would like to share this report from Lori: Hi Ben. I just started school today after the break and I used the Star! We had a 90-minute class. I used about half
When Observed
Last week, we mentioned a good, research-aligned objective for our whiteboards when we are teaching a tableau or story: S/W understand and read Spanish I also found a 2019 post on this topic on the PLC with comments, for anyone interested in
Every Day Feels Like a Job Interview
In this repost, John Piazza describes a largely ignored aspect of our job, but one we make a priority here on the PLC. Here is John's article on mental health: Recently, I was speaking with a friend, who described a marathon
Mental Health
The focus here has always been on good teaching. However, the protection of our mental health and our own personal happiness (so related to our jobs!) are of the greatest importance. Sometimes I teach old-style grammar. Some get it and some
Can Do Statements – 8
The discussion about targeting certain expressions so that our students "can do" certain things (order a meal, etc.) in the TL raises questions about the nature of language. What is the nature of language and what is its purpose? To
More on Planning
I've always been discomfited about how simple the research is and how complex we make our jobs. I mean, the research says basically that we only need to talk to our students in the TL and then do lots of
Prayer That We Might Remember Our Real Purpose in the Language Classroom
I'm on a roll with the prayers: Dear God - Please help us understand that teaching is not a competition, and that whether or not our students achieve high test scores does not reflect on our value and our worth as teachers.
Job Interview Strategies – 1
It's that time of year when some of us are interviewing. John Piazza wrote here on the PLC on the topic, posted first back in 2014: Hi Ben, I wanted to let everyone know officially that I have emerged from my unemployment
Can Do Statements – 7
Angie addressed tbe topic of Can Do statements in 2015 here. What she wrote could apply to almost any aspect of traditional language education. I felt a deep connection to every word. If someone asked me why I am so
Becoming Whole – 1
In the first chapter of Le Petit Prince, there are these lines: J'ai ainsi eu, au cours de ma vie, des tas de contacts avec des tas de gens sérieux. J'ai beaucoup vécu chez les grandes personnes. Je les ai vues
Can Do Statements – 6
In an article in The Language Educator, Nicole Sherf (Salem State University) and Tiesa Graf (South Hadley High School, Massachusetts) gnash their teeth at the number of times cocktail-party acquaintances have said they took multiple years of a foreign language
We Can Get It If We Really Want
One of the things about this community that I appreciate and that people have commented on over the years is that dissenting points of view are accepted and welcomed as contributing to a growth mindset. For example, Diana's recent lashing